May 3rd, 2004
When I first saw this camera my heart skipped a beat. The "old-school" manual exposure controls are not just a gimmick, they are well machined and will make even the most digital-phobic photographer feel at home.

The lens is gorgeous - going from a nice wide 28mm to 90mm (35mm equiv.) , it is also unbelievably fast with an f2.0 to f2.4 maximum aperture.

First Impressions Leica Digilux 2

I want one so bad. The macro is average. There is no swivel screen, and no fancy time-lapse features. It also does not support Compact Flash.

But the lens....

The lens has a very low zoom - 90mm (35mm SLR equivalent) but it is incredibly fast. Combined with the famous Leica quality, the lens makes this camera. The manual controls are a blessing to those who are intimate with traditional SLR cameras.

At around $1600 USD I don't think I'll be buying one as a spare, but for the right photographer this camera will be a quite a treat.

It's worth noting that the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC1 is an identical camera, but costs a few hundred dollars less. Not only is it cheaper, but it is black. The Leica Digilux 2 is a great camera, but if you want to buy it then go for the Lumix instead.